THE NAUTILUS 114(l):18-29, 2000
Page 18
The New Zealand Recent species oi Muricopsis Bucquoy,
Dautzenberg and Dollfus, 1882 (Gastropoda: Muricidae)
Bruce A. Marshall
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa
PO. Box 467
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
[email protected]
Kevin W. Burch
6 Oakland Avenue
Whangarei
NEW ZEALAND
ABSTRACT
Four New Zealand Recent Miiricopsis species are recognized:
M. octogonus (Quoy and Gainiard, 1833), M. mariae (Finlay,
1930) and M. profunda new species, which belong in subgenus
Murcxsul Iredale, 1915, and M. scotti new species, which is
referred to Rolandiclla new subgenus together with the south-
em Australian species A/, umhilicatus (Tenison Woods, 1876).
Their shells and radulae are illustrated and distributions plot-
ted. Mtiiicopsis mariae is interpreted as a species rather than
a chronosubspecies of Af. espinosiis (Hutton, 1886) as has been
traditional.
Key words: New Zealand, Muricidae, Muiicopsis, Murcxsul,
new taxa.
INTRODUCTION
For a number of vears a lar2e, locall\' common, sublit-
tcjral form of Muricopsis from rockv ground off northern
New Zealand was suspected to be an imnamed species
distinct from M. octogonus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1833).
Extensive collecting and field observ-ations led Scott
(1989) to conclude that distinct species were indeed in-
volved, and he reported differences in shell morphologv
operculum colour and habitat. On areas of rock\' ground
at 12-15 m depth, cut by channels with sand floors, Scott
found that whereas M. octogonus t\picalh' lives both on
horizontal rockv surfaces with dominant kelp (Eklonia
radiata) and on sand at the channel floors, the undes-
cribed species typically lives on the channel walls
amongst abundant sponges and brachiopods. The pref-
erence for vertical sublittoral rock surfaces would ac-
count for its extreme raritv-on beaches and in dredge
and trawl samples. The following revision was initiated
after recent discovery of well preserved juvenile speci-
mens (hitherto unavailable or unrecognised) of the un-
described species, which show additional differences
from M. octogonus that in turn suggest a closer relation-
ship with the southern Australian species M. umbilicatus
(Tenison Woods, 1876). Abbreviations and text conven-
tions are: AIM, Auckland Institute and Museum;
BMNH, The Natural History Museum, London; CM,
Canterbury^ Museum, Christchurch; IS, Ian Scott collec-
tion, Auckland: K\VB, Kevin W. Burch collection, Whan-
garei (includes the outstanding collection formed bv our
late friend Dave Gibbs); NMNZ, Museum of New Zea-
land Te Papa Tongarewa, Weflington; NZGS, Institute
of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower Hutt. Unless
specified, all material is at NMNZ (registration numbers
preceded bv "M."). Length dimension precedes width in
all cited measurements.
SYSTEMATICS
Superfamilv Muricoidea Rafinesque, 1815
Familv Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815
SubfamiK Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815
Genus Muricopsis Bucquoy, Dautzenberg and Dollfus,
1882
Muricopsis Bucquoy, Dautzenberg and Dollfus, 1882: 19. Type
species (by original designation): Murcx hlainviUii Pa\Tau-
deau, 1826: Recent, Mediterranean.
Subgenus Murcxsul Iredale, 1915
Murcxsul Iredale, 1915: 471. Tvpe species (by original desig-
nation): Murex octogonus Quoy and Gainiard, 1833; Re-
cent, New Zealand.
Remarks: Ponder (1972) considered Murcxsul to be a
s\iion\Tn of Muricopsis. though Radwin and D'Attilio
(1976), Yokes (1970, 1988) and Beu and Max-wefl (1990)
have treated them as cbstinct genera. We agree with Vo-
kes (1988) that they are closelv related, but Uke Houart
(1988, 1991, 1993), prefer to interpret Murcxsul as a
subgenus oi Muricopsis.
Muricopsis (Murcxsul) octogonus (Quov and Gainiard, 1833)
(Figures 1-15, 24, 25, .33, .37)
Murcx octogonus Quov and Giiiniard, 1833: 531, pi. 36, fig. 8,
9; Kiener, 1843: 64, pi. 15, fig. 2; Grav, 1843: 229; Reeve,
1845, pi. 29, fig. 1.34; Kiister and Kobelt, 1869: 79, pi. 28,
Localities extracted from OCR text.
Specimen codes extracted from OCR text.
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